


The Ultimate Swap

by RiRiPuddinPie



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Talentswap (Dangan Ronpa), Author Is Sleep Deprived, F/F, F/M, M/M, New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Not Canon Compliant - New Dangan Ronpa V3, Saihara Shuichi Needs a Hug, Tired Saihara Shuichi, What am I doing?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:27:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29827026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiRiPuddinPie/pseuds/RiRiPuddinPie
Summary: It takes Shuichi a moment to process what he just heard. That couldn’t be true, right? Sure, nothing in this game seems like it should be real, but this just has to be a lie, there no way that this is possible. So, why can’t he remember how to properly conduct an investigation? And why do machines suddenly make so much more sense?
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi (Eventually), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello hello! This is my first ever story and I’m trying to get better at writing. I know that’s it’s not the best, but I’m trying to get better! I don’t really have a certain type of writing style, this is kind of just me trying to find one, so bear with me! I’m trying 😅. If you couldn’t tell, this is a Danganronpa V3 talent swap fanfic. I’ve see lot of talent swap fanfics, but I’ve wanted to try and write my own talent swap sort of thing, so yeah! Hope you like it!
> 
> Love your weirdest weirdo,
> 
> RiRi

Shuichi Saihara was tired.

It wasn’t unusual for him, with the amount of work he would do for his uncle's detective agency and his anxiety making him rethink his life choices till either late at night or early in the morning, he never got much sleep. He was used to this, though, so it wasn’t too difficult to get through the day without taking a nap in class or while helping his uncle with a case.

However, when the Ultimate Detective was randomly thrown into a crazy killing game, with an even crazier set of living teddy bears, it suddenly became a lot harder. 

So, here he is, sitting in his Ultimate Lab at 3:00 in the morning working on mystery cases Monokuma had so graciously gifted him (If you can call him shoving a stack of files filled in Shuichi’s face then telling him something about getting ideas for murder and the joy of despair “graciously gifting”). Shuichi, quite frankly, didn’t want to sleep. He didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts; he didn’t want to remember what had happened in the last few days. He didn’t want to remember the dread he felt when he found out he was stuck in a killing game, the shock when he had found Rantaro Amami dead in the library, the excruciating anxiety he had felt when investigating his death, the fear of participating in that nerve-racking class trial, the pain when he convicted Kaede Akamatsu as Rantaro’s killer, the horror of watching her hanging on a rope and being used to play the piano until she died, he didn’t want to remember the raw, gut-wrenching despair that lingers within the walls of the school. 

Shuichi just wants to forget the awful week of hell he and the other students had gone through. But no matter how hard he tried, whenever he closed his eyes, he would see the bloody shot-put ball that ended Rantaro’s life and the giant piano crashing down on Kaede’s lifeless body, like they were permanently carved onto the backs of his eyelids. Every time he laid down in his bed, he was consumed by his thoughts; could he have done something to stop Kaede from committing murder? If he had been more observant and figured out what she was planning, could he have convinced her that taking the life of another wasn’t the answer? Could he have done a better job? Could he have saved them? These thoughts, the ‘could I have’s and ‘what if's would play in Shuichi’s mind over and over, like a broken record, getting louder and louder, until it was so loud that he couldn’t hear himself breathing and the sound of his own heartbeat was drowned out, and he just couldn’t take it anymore.

The guilt was eating him from the inside out, slowly destroying him, and Shuichi knew that. He had always been anxious and would constantly fear that the worst thing that could happen would happen in every situation, so he knew how to properly deal with his fear, but other emotions, not so much. He was drowning in his guilt, feeling it flow into his lungs and fill them up until there was no more room for air and he couldn’t breathe. It’s suffocating, but not in the same way as fear, no, this is almost worse in a way. It feels like there’s a constant weight on his chest and the walls are closing in slowly, but what’s worse is that it feels like it’s his fault. That the shame that’s lodged itself in his throat and stopping him from breathing, the dread that’s pooling in his stomach causing him to feel sick, and the mind-numbing sadness in his heart that makes him cry until he’s too tired to produce any more tears, is his fault. No matter how many times his friends try to tell him otherwise, Shuichi can’t stop thinking that way, thinking that he could have done better, but didn’t, and no two people are dead.

Shuichi knows that this is bad for him, and he knows that he should go to sleep and stop working on these random murder cases and missing person reports, but he desperately needs a distraction, something to focus on that isn’t what once were nice memories of Kaede and Rantaro, which have become much more bittersweet. Don’t get him wrong, he cherishes the memories he made with the two. Despite Rantaro’s cryptic personality, he was a really sweet guy. Rantaro has this aura like he knew something you didn’t, but there was also something so comforting about being around him like you were safe as long as he was there. His green eyes could be sharp like a knife and looked like they hid many secrets, but they could also be so soft and caring, the green color and warmth of them often reminding Shuichi of a beautiful meadow on a warm summer day. The best way to describe Rantaro would be brotherly, he was level-headed in any situation, but helped calm everyone down and was sure they were alright. Kaede was always so upbeat, staying positive no matter what and encouraging everyone else to be the same. She had a very bubbly personality and was quite the social butterfly, talking to everyone and making sure they were ok. She was a great leader and really tried to be the best she could be for everyone, despite everything that was going on. Her smile was contagious and her pink-ish magenta eyes were compassionate and understanding and could brighten up the mood of any situation. Shuichi enjoys these memories, he really does, but the once bright images of his friends are now tinted an ugly pink and serve as a reminder of two people he could not protect.

Shuichi has been writing notes on this case furiously for the past 30 minutes, just putting down things that stick out to him or questions that he needs to answer to solve it. He would usually be almost halfway done solving a case like this by now, a simple murder case about a schoolgirl who had switched dorms with a boy in her class and was later found dead in the bathroom by the boy she switched rooms with. It’s not a difficult case, but Shuichi's lack of sleep is getting to him and he’s not processing things as fast as he normally would. He knows he should get some sleep because his messed-up sleeping schedule is definitely not healthy for him, but right now, the distraction that is keeping his thoughts a bay is the only thing between him and insanity. Somewhere, in the very back of his mind, a little voice tells Shuichi that this quiet won’t last, and even if the distraction from his own mind keeps him sane, the sleep deprivation won’t. It's only a matter of time before he is completely burnt out and too tired to distract himself, so sleep will be the only option and all the guilt and bittersweet memories of his two friends will come back and haunt him in his dreams. Shuichi decides to ignore the rational part of his head, even if he knows that’s it’s right, because until then, this tiring tranquility is the only way he knows how to muffle the sounds of his painful thoughts, and it's worth it, even if he exhausts himself in the process.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this one isn’t the best, sorry! I wrote this at, like, three in the morning, so... You may be wondering, “Why would you write this that early in the morning?” and to that, not even I have an answer. Agin, I apologize if this really bad, I’m a bit of a mess. Also, in this chapter I put two of my own head cannons for Shuichi. I think that he needs glasses, but does like wearing them so he wears contacts instead. I also think that he would have naturally wavy hair, I don’t know why, but I do. This last one I don’t mention in this chapter, but I feel that Shuichi would have freckles across his nose and cheeks, so yeah. I hope you enjoy this chapter and forgive my sleep deprived state the chapter was made in. 
> 
> Love your weirdest weirdo,  
> RiRi

_“Hey, Saihara!”_

Huh? Kaede? She’s here...she’s ok…everything’s ok…?..right…?

_*Giggle* “It’s been a while, huh?”_

She’s alright...not hanging...not being used to play the piano...not crushed…she’s fine...everything’s fine…so why...do I still feel so guilty…?

_“Because you are”_

.....Huh?..

_“I’m dead because of you Saihara...I thought we were friends...so why...would you kill me like that?”_

N-no...Kaede...no..I-I didn’t-”

_“You did! You killed me Saihara! Do you know how painful it is to die! It hurt, it hurt so much! And it was because of you!”_

K-Kaede... no...NO! I-I’m so-sorry...I’m s-so so sorry...I didn’t w-want this to h-happen!...I-It’s not my f-fault…!

**_“It’s all your fault!”_ **

l——————————————————l

Shuichi woke up with a jolt, nearly jumping out of his chair in the process. He knew this would happen, the nightmares, they haven’t stopped since the deaths of Kaede and Rantaro. He tries to avoid them, but one can only go so long without sleeping, and Shuichi hasn’t slept in a while. Shuichi doesn’t actually remember going to sleep, he must’ve passed out in the middle of the case he was working on, only to then be woken up by Kaede screaming at him. This is a recurring nightmare, either Keade or Rantaro telling him that it’s his fault. He doesn’t need them to tell him, he already feels guilty enough, but he can’t dictate what his imagination comes up with, unfortunately. Those nightmares are much like this school, in a way. He sees one of them, and he has hope. Hope that they’re not gone and that everyone is ok, only for his hope to be crushed like a bug by having them yell at him that it’s his fault they’re dead.

He sits there for a while, thinking about his nightmares, about Kaede and Rantaro, but soon his thoughts start to go downhill again, so he gets up to start his day, or what he assumes is day, it's sort of hard to tell when he doesn't really sleep. Not even a minute later, the morning announcements go off, confirming that it is in fact day time. He heads down to his dorm, thankfully getting there before anyone left to go to the dining hall, and starts getting ready. He takes off his dirty clothes and takes a shower, hoping it will help him wake up some more. He stands there for a bit, appreciating the warmth before stepping out and drying off. He wraps the towel around his waist before blow-drying his hair, straightening it out and stopping it from going to its naturally wavy state, and accepting the fact that he will never be able to tame that one piece of hair that stands straight up. He brushes his teeth and puts in his contacts. sure, he has glasses, but they get pretty annoying to deal with when he’s wearing his hat.

His hat. That dumb article of clothing that he just can’t let go of. Kaede wanted him to stop wearing the thing, to try to be more confident, but after her execution, he found it even harder to get rid of it. He feels bad about wearing it after Kaede told him he should take it off, but he just feels so exposed without it. He doesn’t want to take it off and see the judgment in their faces, he doesn’t want to see the hate in their eyes. Even if he knows that his friends would do such a thing and that care about him, he doesn’t want to risk it. So, he puts it on, grabs the keys to his dorm, and sets off to the Dining Hall.

Nothing particularly interesting happens on the way there, he goes through the courtyard, sees Tenko walking with Himiko, and rambling on about how cool her magic is while Himiko looks like she could fall asleep right then and there. If you look close enough, you could see the small smile on her face each time Tenko compliments her, but you wouldn’t notice if you didn’t try to look for it. He gets to school and starts walking in, going down the same overgrown halls with red barbed wire over the windows. He zones out for a bit, not thinking about anything in particular, rather enjoying one of the few times his mind stays quiet. He doesn’t realize that he’s there until he’s right in front of the door and he can hear the voices of his classmates. 

Shuichi opens the door to the Dining Hall and is met with the eccentric chattering of his classmates. As soon as he walks in, he hears a Kaito call out for him, “Hey sidekick, over here!”. The girl next to him sends a sharp glare his way for yelling in her ear before looking over at Shuichi with a very small and just barely noticeable smile on her face. “Good morning, Saihara.” Maki’s voice is flat and bordering emotionless, but if you listen closely, you can hear the fondness in her voice, along with a little of what sounds like concern. “Have you been staying up late again? I thought I told you to go to bed at a decent time” she says with a slight frown on her lips and glare, though the look in her eyes betrays that she’s not actually mad, rather worried for her friend. Both Maki and Kaito know about Shuichi’s bad sleeping habits and keep trying to get him to go to bed, but no matter what they say, he refuses to even get in bed at a reasonable time. “A-ah, sorry, Harukawa. I just- I didn’t mean to stay up too late..” It's a lie, he didn’t lose track of time, and the look on Maki’s face shows that she knows this too.

“Hey, it’s fine man! We’re just worried ‘boutcha, y’know! Just try to pay attention to the clock next time and get some rest, can have one of my sidekick overworkin’ himself!” However, Kaito seems to see no flaws in Shuichi’s half-baked explanation as to why he, once again, looks completely exhausted. Kaito’s a great guy and is always super supportive to his ‘sidekicks’, but he's not really the sharpest tool in the shed, so it’s not too hard to convince him. Maki, on the other hand, is not so easily convinced, but she doesn’t point out his very obvious lie. “Fine, whatever. But if you don’t get some sleep on your own, I’ll make you, understand?” Shuichi nods his head as a nervous chuckle escapes his lips in response to Maki’s statement, then sits down across from the two. Kaito laughs but quickly cuts it off when Maki sends him a look that could kill. 

Kirumi brings out everyone’s breakfasts and sets them down quickly yet elegantly in front of them, then goes back and gets everyone’s drinks with the help of Kibo. She sets down a black coffee in front of Shuichi, and he is eternally grateful for Kirumi’s excellent coffee-making skills. “Hmm, maybe that’s the answer to gettin’ ya to go to bet! Forbidden you from having any coffee!” Kaito laughs, and for a second Maki looks like she’s actually considering the suggestion, which makes him a Shuichi a bit nervous because he’s really not much of a morning person and while he can act polite and hide his grumpiness, it’s only for a bit and doesn’t take all that much to get him mad. 

They eat their food and talk about whatever comes to mind, well, mostly Kaito talking and Shuichi and Maki occasionally giving their input. The Dining Hall is by no means quiet, it’s quite the opposite intact. Angie talks about her god Atua while Korekiyo listens in interests, you can hear Kibo tell Kokichi that he’s being robophobic when he’s teasing him and occasionally hear Miu squeal when the Kokichi shifts his attention to insulting her instead, Tsumugi is listening to Gonta talk about bugs and in turn she tells Gonta about her favorite anime’s, while Ryoma just sits silently and listens to the conversations around him. The room is loud, loud enough that Shuichi can’t hear those terrible thoughts, but the silence in his head is loud, and he’s grateful for the quiet.

“Rise and Shine Ursine!” a group of colorful bears come seemingly out of nowhere.

“Daddy wants you all in the gym! He says that he had a suprise for you! Isn’t that exciting! Daddy sure is the best!’ Monophi says, an excited expression on her face.

“Hell yeahhhhhh! Hopefully, this surprise gets you all to kill each other! I’m getting f**king bored without it” Monokid practically screams.

Monotaru’s face scrunches up in confusion, well, as much as a stuffed animal-looking bear can and says “Huh? Killing? When did that start happening? I don’t remember anything about killing?”

Monosukie sighs, looking down and seeming disappointed in the red bear “Of course you don’t.”

Monokid yells once again “Make sure to get there on time! If you don’t, then you’ll get in serious trouble and I’ll bully Monoddam some more.

The, all at once, they say “So long, bear well!”, disappearing as fast as they came. 

Shuichi feels a weight on his lungs once again, but this time it’s not guilt that’s making it hard to breathe, but the fear and dread when you know something bad is going to happen weighing down on his chest. His oh so lovely loud silence in his head now being replaced by panic. 


End file.
